In Canelo Alvarez’s eyes, he is after something so much more than Caleb Plant’s IBF super-middleweight title that will be standing across the ring from him on November 6.
‘Canelo’, or to give him his full name Santos Saul Alvarez Barragan, is a couple of sleeps away from becoming Mexico’s first undisputed world super-middleweight champion as he prepares to defend his titles against the American at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Plant’s shiny IBF belt represents the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle, a quest which Canelo and coach Eddy Reynoso set out on during the early stages of the pandemic. Unifying the belts would undoubtedly be an amazing feat, but it goes so much deeper than that.
Legacy is a word that gets bandied about a lot, especially when it comes to boxing, but in his case it is entirely justifiable. What Canelo is fighting for is his legacy and his place amongst the greatest Mexican pugilists of all time.
“What I would hope to do is make history in my career and that’s what we’re looking for in this fight,” Canelo said, in an exclusive interview with Complex, ahead of his return to action this weekend.
With a little over 24 hours to go before he looks to add another belt to his growing collection this weekend, the current pound-for-pound king has made it clear this is no longer simply about beating the American. In fact, it never has been, really, as he yearns for something far greater.
The 31-year-old lists the great Julio Cesar Chavez as his biggest inspiration but has previously said he’ll never regard himself in the same class as the man he has idolised since he fought on the streets of his hometown Guadalajara.
“I want to tell you up front that I do not want to be better than you, or to be your equal, because you are the greatest and you’ve been the best thing for me,” Canelo said when addressing Chavez Sr.
“I watched you in videos and learned from watching you. You have my deepest respects, but I want to make my own history and be one of the best, but my respects will always be to you.”
